Joma Sison responsible for death of 2 people in Eastern Samar NPA attack – Año

December 15, 2019

Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año on Sunday said Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison was personally responsible on the recent attack by the New People’s Army which resulted to the death of two people, including a police officer, in Eastern Samar.

In a statement, Año said Sison was directly responsible after praising the attack committed by NPA in Borongan City last Saturday.

“We hold all of them responsible for this treachery against the people – Joma and his CPP for ordering this attack, its armed wing the NPA for carrying out this attack, and its political arm, the National Democratic Front for the intelligence, political, and logistical support that enabled the NPA to carry out this treacherous attack against the very people that they said they are fighting for,” said Año.

According to Sison, the said the attack committed by the NPA is their answer to the repeated claim of the Philippine Army and the police that they have finished them off.

He added the successful offensive in Eastern Samar would inspire the NPA to stage more bloody offensives against the state security forces.

“The praise coming from the Netherlands simply shows that this was a premeditated attack on both the PNP and the civilians of Samar meant to deliver a message that the NPA is willing and able to terrorize the people no matter the cost,” Año said.

“This is another brazen act of terror against the people. Unfortunately for Joma, the death and wounding of so many civilians only proves to the people what they really are – a ragtag band of terrorist whose thirst for blood knows no equal,” he added.

Año said the NPA’s indiscriminate use of landmines and Joma’s spirited defense of its use through the years only proved their intent to harm and kill civilians.

“The NPA’s use of land mines is clear and undisputed evidence that they only seek to sow terror among the people. Land mines are indiscriminate weapons, harming soldiers and civilians alike. They remain dangerous after the attack in which they were deployed has ended, killing and injuring civilians and rendering land impassable and unusable,” he said.

Año honored Patrolman Mark Jerome Rama, and the other police officers of the PNP 1st Eastern Samar Mobile Force Company, who were just doing their job of serving and protecting the community when they were ambushed by the rebels.

He then called on the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to be true to its word and conduct a fair, thorough, and independent investigation as previously announced by its spokesperson.

“Finally, the CHR has denounced the CPP-NPA-NDF for this massacre which is a deliberate and arbitrary killing, the use of disproportionate and indiscriminate force against state forces and civilians, violations of international humanitarian law, and its wanton disregard for human life. We are hopeful that they will be true to their word and find the Communist Terrorists guilty of crimes against humanity,” he said. Ella Dionisio/DMS